editing

Recently, I attended an excellent HD Workshop & Mini-Expo presented by Digital CONNtent Creators http://www.digitalct.org/ at Tripeg Studios in Hamden, CT. This event was very informative and I am still amazed by how rapidly the technology in our industry evolves and grows. There is no question that in order to survive these changes you must understand and embrace them, so thanks to Keith Larsen and the rest of the crew that put this show together. This November marks my 25th anniversary in this industry and throughout my career I’ve witnessed the many changes in the tools we use to do our jobs, but how we do it remains the same. The expertise we employ, lighting directing, scriptwriting, producing, editing have changed little over the years, and it is these skills that we need to be continually honing and refining. While it is important to remain current with the tech used in our industry, knowing how to effectively apply our talent and creative nature to the project is still the most valuable asset we have. Having a hammer does not make you a carpenter. The brush is the tool that allows the artist to create. So as you grow your tech, remember to grow your talent.
I asked Keith Larsen to add to my thoughts;
Keith Larsen: That talent has now become the idea of being a “jack of all trades”. While in the past, it seemed a detriment to you as a professional to strive for expertise in every facet of production, you now must be prepared to do exactly that. In a struggling economy, the modern client seeks the one-man band. The one-stop shop, and “good enough” is the mantra ringing through edit suites from coast-to-coast as clients seek ways to get what they need at prices lower than they paid out in the past. So, as you now take on the multiple roles of producer/director/shooter/editor/compressionist, you must hone your creative talent, business acumen, and technological prowess in order to survive. Finding the balance? That’s up to you.

There are three elements to a good media project.

1. A Good Story
2. Good Images
3. The Right Music

A good story should tell itself. Don't allow yourself to force parts together that don't fit if the dialog isn't there. Use narration to bridge caps and make connections between thoughts, but only if needed.

Good images are well lit and composed. They tell a story all their own.

The right music is probably the most important of the 3. You can set moods and generate emotions with the right music. You can set the pace of the story with the right rhythm.

If you are not having a custom score created than the most important skill to develope is the ability to hit the beats. Here is a great tutorial on how to do just that. http://www.studiodaily.com/main/training/howtutorials/10865.html

It is the editors job to weave these parts together and hopefully bring the clients vision to life.

A long time collegue, Tom Clifford, http://www.directortom.com/ , taught me years ago the power of the transcript. It is the single most important step in producing an unscripted, interview based video. Anyone who has had to shutlle back and forth through hours of raw footage, trying to cobble together some kind of a message, will certainly appreciate the advantage of a timecoded transcript. The most obvious benefit is having the client highlight the important points and strike the irrelavent and erroneous ones. Now you have a timecoded list of all the pertinent statements to digitize and work with, saving you hours of hunt and peck editing.

What we need to remember is that at the end of the day what we do as editors is tell stories. It is our responsibility to connect the client and the target viewer with a clear and focused message, because every story has the power to bring about change. Change to the audience and the world around us. We need to make sure that our clients message is understood, and that the viewer is moved to action.